Improvement in reaping-machines



0. H. MQOORMIGK.

- REAPER. v

Patented Oct-Q 23,184?

I No. 5,335.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

o. HfMoOOR-MIGK, or srnnmrs TAVERN, VIRGINIA.

iMPRovEMEN-r IN REAPING-M ACHl NES Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5,335, dated October 93, 1847,: 4

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUS H. MOCORMlGK offiteeles, Tavern, in the county of Rockbridge and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Reaping-Machine formerly patented by me; and I do hereby 'd'e-' clare that theifollowing is a .full, clear, and

exact description of the principle or character which distinguishes them from all other things before known, and of the manner of making, I

constructing, and usin-gthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

so far forward as to leave too much of the weight of the machine back of the drivingwheel, and thercfore' tending tostrain the horses as well as the frame ofthe machine,

andt'he gearing which communicates motion to the crank is placed back vof the driving wheel, which is therefore subjectto be clogged by sand, dirt, straw, &c.,and in consequence of the relative position of the variousparts the attendant is obliged to walkon the ground,

"by the side of thefmachi'ne, to rake the out grain from the platform as his delivered and laid thereonb-y the reel; These defects, which have so much retarded the introduction into practicaiand general use of reaping-machines, Ifhaveremedicd by my improvements, the nature of which consists in placing the drivingwheel farther back than heretofore, and back of thegca'ring which communicates motion to the sickle, which is placed on a line back of the axis of/the driving-wheel, theconnection vbei'i ig formed by means of alever and connect-- ing-rod, thus placing the: cog-gearin g'which operatesthe crank forward of the drivingwheel," for, the purposes described, and also bringing the drivin g-'wh eel snfficiently far back to balance .the frame of the machinewith the maker on it, and makeroom for him to sit or standon the frame back of the driving-wheel and with his back to" thehorses', so that from this position and the'placing of .thereel farther forwardthan heretofore and making itshorter,-

wheel board or guide, whichprevents the grain 1 master cog-wheel,

together with the employm'eht'of a fromvpassing nnderthe machine or"into' the gearing, thereb avoiding the necessity o'f-a g theigrain with a long. reel, he can rakevoff sweep of his rake (having the free use of'his body and arms) in a curve of which his body is the center, ground withtheZ-heads outward at right anglcs to the swath, which cannot 'begdone if the raker walks onthe ground bythe side'of the machine, as-fherctofore, for theh the sweep whichhe makes with his rake relatively tothe motion of i the machine lays the man on the groundwith thefh'eads oblique instead'of at rightrangles, With'the swath, as with the Tim pro'vedlnodei 'I-h'theaccompanying *d'rawingsrlvi repre sents a flat beam, (calledthe fi'nger-piece,) to a part of the forward edge of which arcisecured the flngiers l such as are used in the machine heretofore patented by me, and un-r -de'r these, fingers -.is arranged the vibrating sickle, which receives its vibratory motion in manner to be hereinafter described. Thefi-n- -ger-pie-ce is firmly-attached at one end to the" two oblique h'ounds-U'and *D,ywhich; run to- Wardeach other and-'are bolted tothe tongue A, the forward end of which passes through the breast-piece B'. 'The team is harnessed .to

and breast-piece in the the tpngue, -hounds,

The'axleof the usual or any desired-manner.-

driving-wheel L has its bearings in the two 1 hounds,

so-nea'r the backend thereof, as just to leave room forthe wheelto run-clear of the finger-piece, and to the-outer end of the axle of I the driving-wheel is attached a-beveled l, which communicates mo-. tion to a bevel-pinion,l,on the lower end of an inclined arbor, to the upperend of which'there is another beveled wheel, JF, which communicates motion to the driver-pinion H on ,a-verti-,

cal crank-arbor, G, that has a fly-wheel 'g, on it between the crank and pinion. The crank;

arbor has lit-s bearings on the outside bound.

and the oblique brace h, and the inolinedarbor has its upper bearin g on the obli'quetbrace and its lower end in a shifting-lever, m, by'means of which'the pinion l can be thrown in and:

' out of .gear with the master bevel-wheel I when it is desired to reap or move the machine'witm ,out reaiiingg *A connecting-'rod,n, from the e 'crainlk extends horizontally to the forward end? and thuslay, the grain on the I of a lever, 0, which turns on a fulcrum-pin, 19,

attached to the inside hound, and thence runs back to form, a connection with the end of the sickle g by means of a short con heating-rod, r. By this arrangement of parts the gearing is placed forward of thedriving-wheel, and motion is communicated from thence to the sickle,

v back of the axis of the driving-wheel, by the vibratinglever, thus placing the driving and supporting wheel back of the gearing and far enough to balance the weight of the 'frame,

' and'the attendant or raker isplaced on a seat,

J, over one end of the finger-piece. This seat from sented in Fig. l of the drawings,-the raker can get at the grain back of the wheel, and by, a

natural sweep of his arms deliver it onto the ground at right angles to the swath,as shown in'the figure. To give free scope to the arms of the raker, the reel W ismade shorter than usual at that end, instead of overlapping or extending beyond the range of fingers, and to prevent the grain or straw from passingunder the frame or into the gearing which operates'the sickle there is what I'denominate a wheel-board, wthat is, a curved board the forward end of which is secured to the inside hound. Theforwardend is curved to force 'the grain inward toward the reel, and then-it runs back to the platform Q, parallel'with the plane of motion of the end of the reel. At the other .end of the-finger-bar there is a separator, T, or long finger, which projects beyond the points of the'fingers P to separate the grain that is to be cut,-vand to the point audtopot' this is attached a metal guide or support, U, which extends back of the sickle to support tthe grain while being cut. .The outer edge of the separator runs out in a curved line to force out the grain that is not to'be cut and eli'ect a perfect separation of it from thecut grain. At

this end of/the platform thereis a board, S, to prevent the cut grain from droppingout on that side,-and at the back thereis a cloth screen to prevent its dropping out at the rear.

' secure by Letters :Patent as improvements 011 l The reel W has its bearings at the outer end in the end of a horizontal jbeam, V, which is attached to the frame thansnppor'ts the back screen, and further supported by braces, so as to avoid the'use of a standard at that end, as herotofore, against which the grain strikes before it is separated, and the in'ner end of the reel has its bearing in a sliding box in a stand:

ard, I, attached to theloutside hound anikl the diagonal brace lathe sliding box ha 'inga tapped stem running up above the stan ard, with a screw-nut, X, by means of whichmay, with convenience, be tightened the belt that runs from the driving-pulley at (on the axle of the driving-wheel) over the pulley Y on the axle of the reel. .1

What I claim as my invention, and desire to;

the reapingmachines secured to me by Let ters Patent hearing date the 21st of June 1834;, and the 31st of January, 1845, "is-- i 1. Placing the gearing and crank forward of the driving-wheel for protection'from dirt, &c.,

back than heretofore, andsutficiently so to bal ance the rear part of. the't'rame'and the rak'er thereon, when this position of the parts is combined. witljthe sickle, back ot'the axis of motion ofthe driving-wheel, by'means of the vibnatinglever, substantially as herein described 2; The arrangement of theseat of the raker over-"the end of the fin gervpiece, which projects beyond the range of imgersand just-back ofthe driving-wheel, as described, in combina'; tion' with and placed at the end of the reel,- whereby the raker can-sit with his back to-.. ward the;team,.and'thi s ,have free. access to thecut grain Iaidjon theplatform and back of the reel, and rake it,fro|n'-- thence onto the ground bya natural sweep'ofhis' body and lay it in a range at right angles with 'the swath, as' described, thereby avoiding iinevenness and scatteringiu the discharge ofthe wheat, as wellas accomplishiilg fthe same with a great saving of labor. l

0,11. MCCORMICK Witnesses:

A. P, BROWNE, J. W. THAYER.

andth'us carrying the driving-wheel farther ll l 

